Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage isn't one to play coy when it comes to the business of prognostication. This modern-day Nostradamus, just two days before the green flag falls on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoff-opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, put his cards on the table, unveiling who he believes will advance through each round of the playoffs, and who will eventually hoist the championship trophy at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Gossage's take (on Newman moving on despite entering as the last seed): "This is the first time since 2006 that the No. 6 car has been in the playoffs, and back then it was driven by Mark Martin so that's quite an accomplishment for that team."

Gossage's take (on 3rd seed Martin Truex Jr. being eliminated early): "Somebody's going to have a bad round. Somebody's going to be involved in a crash that's not of their doing. Somebody's going to have a tire go down. Somebody's going to blow an engine. For whatever reason, my senses tell me it's Martin Truex Jr. who does not advance to the Round of Eight.

Gossage's take (on the drama of surviving Texas to advance to this round): "Now it really gets tight. The Round of Eight, it really gets down to it. One little mistake and your season's over. Here at Texas drama always seems to occur."

2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Champion:Chase Elliott

Gossage's take (on Elliott's first championship): "I've done all the research, crunched all the numbers, talked to all the people, and that guy, Chase Elliott, wins his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship in the No. 9 car."

Sunday's playoff opener, the South Point 400 at Las Vegas, will be broadcast live on NBCSN beginning at 6:00 p.m. CT.

The eighth round of the ten-race playoff is a stop at Texas Motor Speedway for the AAA Texas 500 doubleheader weekend. The Xfinity Series O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 playoff race is Saturday, Nov. 2 at 7:30 p.m. CT, followed by the Cup Series AAA Texas 500 playoff race on Sunday, Nov. 3 at 2:00 p.m. CT.

O’Reilly Auto Parts 500

The O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 race weekend has been rescheduled for July 18-19, 2020 as part of a triple header weekend with the My Bariatric Solutions 300 and the Vankor 350.

Ticketholders for any originally scheduled March NASCAR event should visit the Ticket Exchange Information Page for details on event exchanges, credits or refunds. Due to the ongoing pandemic, our walk-in ticket office remains closed. However, our ticket agents are working remotely.